Battle, South East England

About this house sitting position in Battle

This role is a long term house-sit in a large rural home set in around 8 acres, from 9th or 10th December onwards. The house was built in 1981, and has only been in our family. It is located between Battle and Sedlescombe, in the heart of 1066 country. Close to Hastings and Bexhill in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it is surrounded by woodland and footpaths, so it would be perfect for walkers. There is a large sunny south facing garden with 2 ponds, fruit trees and wildflower meadow. My dad was a lifelong gardener, it was his pride and joy. The nearest station is a couple of miles up the road in Battle, and it takes 90 minutes to travel to London by train.

The property is for sale, I am happy to share the url with you if you are would like to see more descriptions and photos.

The reason for needing a house sitter is because my elderly mum will be downsizing to a flat in Battle in December 2024. I will come over from New Zealand for a month to help her move, to welcome house sitters to the property and explain how everything works. The sitters will look after her house and land whilst it is on the market over the winter, and potentially until it is sold. It is mainly for security purposes, and to keep everything ticking over through the winter months, but being rural there’s often something to do. There are no pets to be cared for. There may be viewings by potential purchasers during the house-sit, which will be done with advance notice from the Estate Agent. At the time of writing this ad there are no offers on it, but the process of house selling is very slow, so we will be able to provide plenty of notice should it be sold.

Currently there is someone keeping their horses in the stables and looking after the fields. There is also an end of terrace cottage on the land that is currently tenanted out and is under offer, but as per the stables, this situation may have changed by December, so this may need keeping an eye on too just to ensure pipes haven't burst etc.

We think that this will be perfect for a practical mature couple who enjoy the outdoors and who wish to explore this area or work remotely. You will need your own transport. You may even bring a pet, if it does not shed and all pet evidence is cleaned up!! There is an attached double garage for your use. Mum may keep her car in one of the other garages in her rural home as she will also be heading overseas, rather than leaving it outside for 2 months over winter.

Being rural, we are hoping for someone practical with common sense who is fine with puddles and mud, and will make sure the drains don’t clog with leaves or can shift gravel on the drive if it gets washed out by rain. The conservatory will need the plants taken care of (there is a winter heater and they may need watering).

The house is double glazed and insulated with an oil filled central heating system. There is a woodburner in the family room, and you can have unlimited access to firewood, although you may need to split it (we have an electric wood splitter and axe). There is an Aga in the kitchen, but we haven’t yet decided whether to switch it on for the winter, due to the oil consumption. We plan to shut up some of the rooms to keep the heating bills down as Mum will take some furniture to her new residence in Battle. However at the bare minimum, the kitchen, family room, study, bathroom and one or two bedrooms will be furnished, cosy and ready to go! As Mum will have moved we will have disconnected her phone and wifi. However you are welcome to set up wifi there using the phone line. As this is a long term house-sit over winter and Mum is living in another property we would appreciate a fair contribution to electricity and oil so you can keep yourselves nice and warm over winter. We can talk about these details and how it would best work for us all.

Mum has a gardener who will keep coming for general garden maintenance and lawn mowing, and someone who does her hedges for her, but we hope you will do any garden or maintenance tasks as you see fit. There may be an opportunity for some paid work painting / redecorating / repairs if it’s needed and you have the skills - all up for discussion!

I’m very happy to talk via WhatsApp to any potential house sitters who are happy to help us out in exchange for some time in our much loved family home in the country, and look forward to hearing from you soon. Note I am in New Zealand, so please message first, taking the time difference into account! (Currently NZ is 12 hours ahead of the UK). Read more...

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